Rolling with the Punches
by Nothing You Can Prove
Summary: (Mixture of the Alt- and Original- timelines) After suffering an accident leaving her paralyzed from the waist down, Chloe Price must adjust to a whole new life. Luckily for her, she's not alone.
1. A Slippery Slope to Love (and Blackmail)

**So, I wanted to do something with alt-Chloe, minus the whole imminent death thing and a lessened paralysis. Characters will be a mixture of the two universes, with Chloe a little toned down and Max a bit more daring. The time frame might jump around a bit, but I'll indicate when necessary.**

 **A few things before we start. William's alive for one. The accident still happened, but it's not life threatening or anything. Chloe has been paralysed from it, only from the waist down. Max and her family didn't leave for Seattle. Chloe does go to Blackwell - because it not being wheelchair accessible is complete BS. Looking at you, Principal Wells. Rachel is around and she's still friends with Chloe. Same goes for Kate and Max. So, no Dark Room stuff. Also, Chloe will have blue hair, because why not? And the most important point of all… Pricefield.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: A Slippery Slope to Love (and Blackmail)**

Max strolled leisurely along the promenade, a word maybe too fancy for Arcadia Bay, running alongside the beach. Chloe matched her step for step, gently cruising in her wheelchair. Considering how much she had struggled with it at the start, soon enough she had become a pro. Sure, she had been pissed off at not being able to do it straight off the bat, sulking at her inability. Chloe Price didn't take failure well. With a bit of time and effort, though, she managed to get used to it.

The pair had spent the morning down by the beach and the surrounding area, taking pictures and chatting away as usual. A crisp, cool breeze washed over them, the afternoon sun beating down. Seagulls and other birds lazily swooped overhead, circling the area. The water glistened, gentle waves lapping at the shoreline. Crabs scuttled along the sand, pincers tapping together as they side-stepped. In the distance, the lighthouse was just about visible, stood atop the cliff. A constant in the sleepy town.

Stopping for a couple of minutes, Max sat down on a nearby bench, right at the end so she could sit close to Chloe. One hand was reserved for Chloe's, fingers intertwining. With the other, she traced the various engravings with her fingertips, from love stories to insightful quotes to, uh… words not quite as poetic. Typical Arcadia Bay defacement.

"You know, this sunshine and rainbows nature shit is nice and all, but…" Chloe began, catching her eye.

"What, not punk rock enough for you?" Max asked, shaking her head and grinning as she finished off the sentence.

"Not quite." Chloe immediately began searching around for something worthy of her attention. Soon enough, she found what she was looking for. A slope about a foot or so ahead, slightly off to the left leading into the car park. "Max, let's race down this hill. You can call shotgun." She motioned her head to the back of her wheelchair.

"Wait… you want _me_ to get on the back of this death trap?" Max asked incredulously. Maybe she should have been expecting something like this. Sure, it wasn't the craziest or most dangerous thing she had done with Chloe, but it was up there. So many things could go wrong here, so many bones just waiting to be broken.

"Hell yes! Come on, it'll be fun. It's not even that steep," the bluenette reassured, waving away her concern. The accident sure as hell hadn't knocked the thrill seeker out of her. If anything, it only made her daredevil streak worse. "Or you can sit on my lap if you want. I don't mind."

"I don't think so. Don't know about you, but I quite like living," Max replied, the voice of reason balancing out Chloe's recklessness.

"What's the point of living if you don't actually _live_?Take chances and all crap." Noticing that she was fighting a losing battle, she turned to her secret weapon. One Max couldn't refuse. "Pretty please."

"Stop it," Max demanded, doing her best to ignore the persuasion attempts.

"Stop what?" Chloe asked innocently, knowing exactly what she meant but feigning ignorance.

"The puppy dog eyes," she clarified, crossing her arms.

Keeping up the charade, Chloe stifled the grin threatening to break. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, Ms. Caulfield."

Max gave her a skeptical stare, sizing her up. "Sure you don't… it's not like you know that's my greatest weakness or anything."

"That's news to me."

"Uh-huh… Ugh, fine," Max sighed deeply, unable to resist despite her best efforts. "You're lucky I like you so much that I'll entertain such a ridiculous idea." If she refused, she would only get guilt tripped into doing something more insane later. That much was certain. Better to pick and choose her battles.

Cautiously, she positioned herself on the back of the wheelchair, taking a deep breath before she kicked off and they went racing down the smooth incline. She clung on for dear life, hoping that she wasn't about to die. Despite her fear, the rush of adrenaline made her feel so alive. Chloe seemed to be enjoying herself, screaming with delight the whole way down. That alone made the threat of imminent death worthwhile.

When they rolled to a stop at the bottom of the curve, Chloe turned her head to look over her shoulder at Max, a huge grin on her face. "That. Was. AWESOME! Just like when we were kids, hitching rides on the back of shopping carts… without the conga line of parents and security, of course. Again?"

"I don't think I can handle another turn… kind of feel like I'm going to throw up…" Max replied, the world spinning and her stomach churning. Just how Chloe managed to talk her into stupid ideas was well beyond her. Maybe she shouldn't be so weak willed when it came to her girlfriend.

"Lightweight," Chloe muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

Max narrowed her eyes disapprovingly. "Excuse me?"

In response, the blue-haired punk flashed that familiar cheeky grin. "You heard me."

"Oh, you are in _big_ trouble, Chloe Price," Max threatened playfully, affectionately nudging her shoulder.

The display of playful annoyance only made her smile widen, her voice carrying a hint of suggestive flirtation. "Depending on what kind of trouble… I'm game."

"Probably not the kind you're thinking of." Again, yet another thing the accident hadn't dampened… Chloe's insatiable flirtatious nature.

"We'll see about that. Come on. Mischief won't make itself," Chloe pressed impatiently, eager to wreak some havoc.

"Not without Chloe Price around," Max added fondly. That much was true. She was one of, if not the sole provider of trouble in Arcadia Bay. Along with Rachel Amber, naturally. Those two accounted for at least 70% on their own. Probably more.

"Exactly. So, let's roll." Chloe motioned to her wheelchair, one eyebrow raised. "Literally."

Max rolled her eyes at the attempt at humor. "Ha, cute."

"I know I am. You don't have to keep reminding me every five minutes," the bluenette smirked mischievously. "Anybody'd think you had a huge crush on me or something."

Seeing a chance to tease her back just as hard, Max grinned. "A crush? On you? Nah, fat chance."

"Ouch, you really know how to hurt a gal." Chloe injected as much hurt into her voice as possible, all an act of course. "I demand recompense for my suffering!"

"Oh, do you now?" Max asked amusedly, having a good idea what she was about to suggest. "The jury, aka me, is ready to hear your call for compensation."

Thinking it over for a moment or two, Chloe finally spoke again. "I'll give you three guesses…"

"Do I get a prize for a right answer?" Max asked, drawing it out by playing along.

"If you guess right, the prize comes by default." Certain she knew what Chloe wanted, Max knelt and leaned in, kissing her tenderly. Given the reaction, that was the right answer. After a couple of seconds, she pulled back to see the bluenette grinning from ear to ear. "We have a winner."

Unsatisfied with just a single brief kiss, Chloe reached out for Max, pulling her in for another much longer one. They didn't care if they were blocking the way down to the beach. Not like many people came down here anyway. In this moment, Arcadia Bay melted away, replaced by their own little world. One where only they mattered. When they broke apart, Max took hold of Chloe's hands, giving them a light squeeze as she stared into those familiar blue eyes. She didn't have to look hard to see the love and adoration permeating them. They were probably a mirror of hers right now.

As for Chloe, she still couldn't believe any of this was happening. Ever since they were in their early teens, she had like Max. As a friend and so much more. The accident had dealt a major blow to her confidence and, for a time, she had given up on a 'normal' life. Max had renewed her faith, stayed by her side throughout and been the light of her life. Despite the hardships, all the added complications, she refused to give up. Eventually, that spirit had rubbed off on Chloe and helped her snap out of that weird depressive rut she had found herself in.

Better still, the accident had brought Chloe one good thing. Freaked out by how close to death her friend had been, Max confessed how she felt. Saying something like, she didn't want to keep it a secret anymore because the bluenette needed to know someone cared about her as much as she did, even if it wasn't mutual. Chloe had actually laughed at that, much to Max's initial surprise. For years, the blue-haired punk had been not-so-subtly flirting with her, sending all the signs. Well, trying too. Clearly, it had all gone over her head, passed off as teasing. Admittedly, that had been part of it.

And here they were now. As happy as could be.

Max shuffled on her legs, pins and needles gradually make its way up them. "Not to interrupt or anything, but… my legs are kind of going numb."

"You sure know how to break the mood, huh?" the bluenette added cheekily, grinning at her girlfriend.

"Like you need much coaxing to get _in_ the mood," Max pointed out smugly. Any opportunity Chloe could get a kiss, she'd take it. Not that she minded in the slightest.

"Lucky for you." Her voice was low and husky as she went in for another kiss. As they were kissing, Max snuck in a photo. Chloe didn't say anything, smiling to herself when she heard the familiar shutter sound. Something's never changed.

* * *

 **So, that's that. Might add things to this as and when I think of stuff. A bit like in 'Together Again'. Any ideas, lemme know. So long as they fit the background mentioned in the initial notes, I can probably include them. Will be keeping it as a teen rating, so have that in mind. Other characters will probably be making an appearance (like Rachel, Kate, parents etc.) Have a great day and see you next time.**


	2. A Not So Happy Accident

**Welcome back, guys. So, this one'll be a little more angsty than the last. There will be some fluffier stuff throughout to get a balance and it'll end on a nice note, though. We don't know exactly when Chloe had the injury in the alt-timeline canonically, as far as I can tell (somewhere between 2010 when she got the car and 2013 when the game takes place). So yeah, gonna just add something.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: A Not So Happy Accident**

 **Late 2010 (Chloe: Aged 16) – Days After the Car Accident – Hospital, Afternoon**

It had been several days since the accident, only some of which Chloe had been fully awake for. She knew what had happened to her; she'd been rammed off the road by some drunk asshole, who of course got away with nothing more than a broken arm and collar bone. Chloe, however, had not been so lucky. For the foreseeable future, she might never walk again – paralyzed from the waist down.

Understandably, it had been a total shock for her waking up and not being able to move her legs. She'd panicked naturally, especially since she couldn't remember what had happened. Her parents had cried so hard when she woke up, tears of relief and sadness. Things had been dicey for a while, vitals unstable. She could have just as easily died as survived; a fifty-fifty chance. Now, she would have to get used to her new disability.

In all honesty, she just wanted to go home and forget. Unfortunately, her now useless legs would serve as a constant reminder of the accident. Either way, she wanted to return to her 'normal' life… or what was left of it. When she thought about the time she'd cruised into a disabled parking space because she was too lazy to walk, the irony hit her like a gut punch; ominous foreshadowing. That's what it would be if her life were a movie or a game. Cruel poetic justice, giving her a reason to actually use them now… not that she'd probably be doing much driving.

Her parents weren't the only ones who had come and visited her. Rachel Amber had dropped by once or twice to try and cheer her up – something that worked while she was there. The blonde didn't treat her any different, already planning all the trouble they would be getting up to when Chloe got out. She even managed to crack a few terrible jokes and get her laughing. Nothing was sacred with Rachel around… part of her appeal.

One other person had been to see her as much as possible: her childhood friend, Max Caulfield. The second she heard, she had come over straight away, ditching class without hesitation. Chloe had vague memories from the first couple days or so, when she had been dipping in and out of consciousness – unable to communicate. Almost every time she came to, Max had been there either asleep in a chair, holding her hand or pacing. The brunette had talked to her, even if Chloe hadn't heard or understood at the time.

When she did finally wake up, she didn't feel like talking much at first. She was drugged up and processing everything. In time, she had become a little more talkative, not much. Right now, she felt depressed, unsure how her life would go from here on out. Hopefully, the feeling would pass or lessen eventually but until then she was stuck with it. The crash had really shaken her, knocked her confidence down.

The doctors had suggested setting up some kind of therapy sessions to deal with the mental and emotional aftermath when she was ready. Honestly, the only person she might even consider talking about how she felt now was Max. She didn't want her parents worrying or jumping to conclusions, her mother in particular. Chloe knew she meant well but… right now she didn't want to hassle. And she didn't want some stranger poking around in her business for their pay check. Speaking of Max, she was supposed to be coming after class, as she had done every day since the accident, and any other time she could spare. Of course, Chloe was grateful for the time she dedicated to come and see her; it meant a hell of a lot. She didn't like being left with her own thoughts for too long.

Within the hour Max arrived; it looked like she had come straight from school. She drew one of the chairs up to the bed, flopping down with a sigh.

"Rough day?" Chloe asked, using her arms to help herself sit up with some difficulty. Her legs seriously felt like dead weights.

Max noticed her attempt, taking her bag off her shoulder so she was free to help Chloe get comfortable - she didn't want to see her friend struggle unnecessarily – before returning to her seat. "You could say that."

"Well, I'm sure it was more eventful than my day," Chloe replied. "Spent most of it wondering whether that stain over there was coffee or blood or something else. Oh, yeah, and staring out of the window. The ceiling sometimes, too."

"I'm gonna go with coffee," Max answered hopefully, looking at the stain in question. "William might've been to blame for that. He was drinking a lot."

Chloe nodded slowly, a flicker of sadness in her tone. "He already has a coffee addiction. Don't think this helped."

"And as far as boredom is concerned… I got you covered." Max took her bag, pulling out a comic book. It was a series both she and Chloe were reading, taking it in turns to buy the next comic in the series as it came out to conserve pocket money. "I haven't even read it yet so, no spoilers please."

"We could read it together now," Chloe suggested eagerly. She and Max liked to read it aloud with funny voices totally not fitting the character or situation, having a good giggle in the process. Sometimes they added extra lines in, often crude ones from the older girl.

"Then what are you gonna do later?" Max asked, putting the comic book on the bedside table.

She shrugged. "Hmm… well, now the mystery of the coffee stain has practically been solved by Detective Caulfield… more window watching, I guess."

"I wish I could stay over, like a sleepover," Max replied wistfully. She felt bad whenever she left her friend on her own, knowing how bored she would be. Maybe she could hide under the bed or something to evade the night watch...

"When I get out of this prison, you can. Should be out soon once things have been put in place." A genuine mischievous smirk tugged at her lips. "Gonna get myself a fancy wheelchair and everything. That'll need a serious 'pimp my ride' job. I'm talking racing stripes, rocket booster, a mini-gun…"

The younger girl chuckled at her eagerness. "Alright, Inspector Gadget, slow down there. Should I be writing this down?"

"That's what sidekicks are for, right?" Chloe stated with a smug grin, knowing it would wind her up.

"You suck! I'm so not a sidekick," Max protested, pouting playfully.

"Are too," she countered. "The hero _always_ gets the super cool gadgets and shit." Her smile faded, giving way to gradual realization. "Having said that, heroes are rarely paralyzed from the waist down so…"

There were a couple Max could remember off the top of her head. "There's 'Professor X' and 'Oracle'. See, you can be 'Chloracle' or 'Orachloe'…" she paused, frowning, "okay, admittedly not my best nickname puns. Gimme some time to perfect that. Besides, you're my hero, Chloe." She smiled goofily, placing a comforting hand over her friend's.

That made Chloe chuckle and roll her eyes playfully. "Wow, so much cheese. Guess that makes you Bat-Max then by default."

"You know it," Max replied with a grin, gently running the back of her palm with her thumb. She hated seeing Chloe so disheartened. "We definitely need to draw that."

"Just try and stop me, hippie." The amusement lasted for a few moments, soon giving way to that depressed expression once more. "Look, I know you're trying to make me feel better about this – and it's kinda working just a little – but Max, look at me…"

"I _am_ looking at you," Max stressed, meet her eyes. "All I can see is my best friend. Nothing less. I know you, how stubborn you are, so…"

"Dude, if you say 'I'll be back on my feet in no time' I will _so_ hit you," Chloe muttered, trying to sound as light-hearted as possible.

"I wasn't but I might now," Max replied, also trying to inject some humor into her tone. "This will take some… getting used to. It's going to be tough for you. One thing you can count on: I _will_ be there for you."

Chloe sighed, closing her eyes. "Shit… now I just wanna cry."

"Do it, I won't tell anyone and damage your street cred," Max promised, reaching out to push her friend's fringe aside.

"You'd probably blackmail me with it. I would." Exhaling deeply, Chloe turned to her looking hopeful. "You know, a hug would be nice now… just saying."

"One hug coming up." Max complied with the request, giving her a tight hug. She felt Chloe's arms wrap around her just as tightly. When they broke apart, Max gave her a smile, one Chloe returned. "Now, shall we see about that comic book?"

"Hella yes!" Chloe exclaimed gleefully, grabbing the comic book from the side.

They eagerly began reading, getting back into the swing of their usual reading sessions. Chloe hadn't laughed so much since the accident, the sound music to Max's ears. This might not last, but for now Chloe was having a blast and that was all that mattered.

"I shall never let your plan come to fruition, villain," Max stated in a high-pitched nerdy voice, making the pair chuckle.

"Au contraire, it has already begun..." Chloe let out an evil laugh after her usual deep villain voice, with a heavy – aka bad and overexaggerated – French accent. Cue more giggling. She turned the page, noticing they had come to the end of the story for this edition. "'To Be Continued'… are they serious? Oh, man, so cruel."

"They do love a cliffhanger…" Max added, equally as frustrated.

She took a moment to glance at her friend, watching her close the comic book with a sigh. For all their joking, it really had been a close call with the accident. It could have been _so_ much worse, not that it wasn't bad enough already…

"You okay, Super Max?" Chloe asked, concerned at her friend's sudden shift in behavior.

Sighing, Max committed to what she had been considering telling Chloe since the accident, and even before then. "Listen, Chloe, I… there's something I have to tell you. This could be either the best or worst time, I'm not sure which yet. It might be… really selfish of me to even bring it up now but… you need to know. Now more than ever."

Sensing the shift in intensity and seriousness, Chloe nodded for her to continue. "Max, I'm listening."

"When I heard you…" Max began, hesitating to change her wording, "about the accident, I felt… dead inside, like someone had torn my heart out of my chest and ripped it to pieces in front of my eyes, burned the remains and stopped on the embers."

"Wow, that's so emo," Chloe replied softly.

"You're telling me." Max stopped to gather her thoughts. "I was so scared when William told me, and it put a lot of things in perspective. I nearly lost you… I don't think I could ever recover from that, Chloe. Mostly because… I would regret not doing or saying everything I was supposed to."

Chloe's brow furrowed, confused. "Max… what are you saying?"

"I'm saying…" the younger girl steadied her nerves, too late to go back now, "that I _really_ like you, Chloe Price, so much that it kinda hurts sometimes."

"You… do?"

"Yes, I do," Max confirmed, biting her lip as she tried to figure out what her friend was thinking. "I have done for a while now but I didn't really understand or I was too chicken or… I don't know, some other excuse. There was always an excuse on hand. Just thinking about how close it came to me not being able to tell you that…" She swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady. "I can't."

"Well, you sure know how to pick your times…" Chloe muttered to herself, not sure how to reply. "Max, I… are you sure you want to be telling me this now? I mean, I'm not… I can't walk, and I might never be able to. Who knows what other problems there could be later down the line."

That might be enough to put some people off… not Max. "Doesn't change a thing," she reassured, putting every single inch of emotion she could into those few words.

Considering her options for some time, Chloe finally answered. "I… well, in that case, I really like you too, Max. The accident seemed to happen in slow motion and… pretty much the first thing that came to mind was you, that I might not see you ever again…"

"You're here now, with me," Max reminded softly.

Chloe smiled, bittersweet, as she tucked a strand of Max's hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I am. And I wouldn't change that for the world."

Before either of them could speak, they heard someone come into the room – William. "Ah, thought I'd find both of you here."

Shrugging, Chloe laid back on the bed like nothing had happened. "Not like I'm going anywhere."

"That's where you're wrong. You're coming home." He turned back and brought a wheelchair into the room with him. "My lady, your carriage awaits." He bowed, earning a chuckle from both girls. Both him and Max helped her into it, getting her comfortable. "Onto yonder castle, your Majesty. A banquet awaits."

"You know, I could get used to this," Chloe mentioned with a smirk, getting turned around to leave. "You coming, Max?"

"Joyce is making her salmon surprise." He smacked his lips in anticipation, adding as a coaxing afterthought, "And chocolate cake for desert."

"I'm sold."

On the way out, William gave Max a knowing smile and a wink, one Chloe didn't see. The younger girl felt herself blush, wondering just how much of their conversation William had caught. Judging by that smile and wink, at least some… if not all…

* * *

 **So, like I said a little bittersweet in places but enough fluffy stuff to break it up. Don't want it being too depressing (LIS did that enough without my input). Always need more happy(ish) alt-Chloe stuff – there is a decided lack, when I last checked anyways. Have a great day and see you around.**


End file.
